Inflatable cooler

ABSTRACT

An inflatable cooler is provided having a rigid base, an upper frame, and an inflatable body having at least one fluid chamber connected to the base and to the upper frame. The inflatable body and the at least fluid chamber is comprised of a flexible material. The cooler has an inflated state in which the at least one fluid chamber is filled with a fluid such as air, thereby increasing the height of the cooler and forming a semi-rigid body structure useful for transporting food and beverages. The cooler has a deflated state in which the at least one fluid chamber is not filled, thereby providing a compact structure conducive for efficient storage and relatively inexpensive shipping.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/702,538 entitled “Inflatable Cooler” filed onJul. 26, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an insulated container suchas a cooler or ice chest, and more specifically, to a cooler that can beinflated for use and deflated for shipment and/or storage. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a cooler having a rigidbase, a rigid top, and an inflatable body that can hold items whileinflated, but wherein the inflatable body can be deflated when not inuse to require less storage space.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Insulated containers such as coolers, sometimes referred to as icechests, have been used for many years to transport food and beveragesbetween locations while keeping the contents at a desired temperature.Typically, the insulated coolers are used to carry cold items such assoda, beer, sandwiches, ice cream, fish, meat, and so on, surrounded byice or refreezeable cold packs, for example. Alternatively, theinsulated coolers can be used to transport hot items such as casseroles,lasagna, vegetables, and so on.

Coolers have typically been made of solid materials, such as injectionmolded plastic or insulated “soft sided” materials. These hard-sidedcoolers maintain their shape, whether or not the coolers are used orstored. The relatively large size of these coolers has resulted in theneed for excessive storage space, as the coolers occupy their fullvolume even when not in use.

Various attempts have been made to address this storage space issue,including soft-sided foldable and collapsible coolers, which aredescribed in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/155,113, filed Jun. 16, 2005,which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

Another problem associated with the uncollapsible hard-sided cooler isthat when manufactured in a foreign locale (e.g. Asia), shipping costsmay prove cost prohibitive because shipping costs are often based onvolume. Thus, it is desirable to provide a cooler having a largevolume/capacity when in use, but a small volume for shipping to reduceshipping costs. Such a cooler could also reduce the shipping costsassociated with shipping the cooler to customers.

Various inflatable coolers have also been suggested in the past. Mosthad very limited special applications or were complex and would bedifficult to manufacture. Further, inflatable coolers currently beingmanufactured are typically intended for use as flotation devices.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,785 (issued Apr. 25, 1978) describes an inflatedchamber that serves to insulate a heavy gauge plastic liner that fitsinside the inflated chamber.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,352 (issued Feb. 28, 1989) describes a cooler havingan inflatable body and an inflatable lid, but also having supports whichmust be removed and separately folded for storage.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,217 (issued Sep. 26, 2000) describes an inflatablecooler for use with a standard size beverage container, such as a beerkeg. The inflatable body of the cooler is designed to abut against thebeverage container, thereby providing the cooler its structural support.

While these cooler products are inflatable, each may not provide theversatility and simplicity that is requested by consumers. There stillexists a need for an inflatable cooler that can retain its shape wheninflated without separate support members, and that can be deflated andstored in an efficient, compact manner. The inflatable cooler should beadapted to be relatively robust and not prone to puncture. Further, itis desirable to provide a cooler that is capable of being inflated atremote locations where electrical power is not readily available. It isdesirable to provide a cooler with a small volume for shipping andstorage, but with a large capacity/volume for use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An inflatable insulated container such as a cooler/ice chest is providedhaving a rigid base, an upper frame, and an inflatable body having anupper end and a lower end, the lower end sealingly engaged to the rigidbase and the upper end sealingly engaged to the upper frame. The cooleralso may include either a hinged lid or a removable lid connected to theupper frame. The inflatable cooler has an inflated state, wherein therigid base, upper frame, and inflatable body define a cavity. In theinflated state, the inflatable body is semi-rigid and structurallycapable of transporting items such as food, beverages, and ice. In thedeflated state, the rigid base is connectable to the upper frame inorder to minimize storage and shipping volume.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The following figures form part of the present specification and areincluded to further demonstrate certain aspects of the presentinvention. The invention may be better understood by reference to one ormore of these figures in combination with the detailed description ofspecific embodiments presented herein.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the presentdisclosure of a cooler 1 having a rectangular cross section in aninflated state (lid closed).

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the presentdisclosure of a cooler 1 having a rectangular cross section in aninflated state (lid open).

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the presentdisclosure of a cooler 1 having a rectangular cross section in aninflated state (lid closed, transparent sides).

FIGS. 4A-4E show an embodiment of the present disclosure of a cooler 1as it is deflated/collapsed, ultimately reaching a substantiallyuninflated state (FIG. 4E) suitable for shipping.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention is directed to making an inflatable cooler that isthe functional and practical equivalent of a classic “hard-sided”cooler, with the added benefit of compact storage and reduced costs ofshipping.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below as theymight be employed in the use of designs for inflatable insulatedcontainers, coolers, or ice chests. As used herein, cooler shall meancooler, ice chest, insulated container, etc. In the interest of clarity,not all features of an actual implementation are described in thisspecification. It will of course be appreciated that in the developmentof any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specificdecisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, suchas compliance with system-related and business-related constraints,which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will beappreciated that such a development effort might be complex andtime-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking forthose of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of thisdisclosure.

Further aspects and advantages of the various embodiments of theinvention will become apparent from consideration of the followingdescription and drawings. While articles are described in terms of“comprising” various components (interpreted as meaning “including, butnot limited to”) the articles can also “consist essentially of” or“consist of” the various components and steps, such terminology shouldbe interpreted as defining essentially closed-member groups.

An embodiment of the present disclosure as shown in FIGS. 1-3 includesan inflatable cooler 1 comprising a rigid lower base tray 2, aninflatable body 3 having at least one side, a rigid upper frame 4, and alid 5 defining an interior space or cavity 6. The solid lower base tray2 may be injection molded in rigid plastic, such as polypropylene, whichacts to protect the inflatable body 3 from abrasion or puncture. Inanother embodiment, the lower base tray 2 may be constructed of asemi-rigid heavy walled vinyl material. In yet another embodiment, theinflatable body 3 may be designed with an integral inflatable floor orjust an integral layer of material sufficient to create a watertightseal.

The lower base tray 2 may also include at least one plug 9 to be used todrain the interior of cooler 1. Alternatively, the inflatable coolerbody 3 may be equipped with a drain plug (not shown) to allow liquidcontents of cooler 1 to be drained away.

The lid 5 of the cooler 1 may be a traditional blow-molded unit housedin a rigid plastic upper frame 4, that may be somewhat smaller indimension to the lower base tray 2. The lid 5 may be hinged or separablefrom the upper frame, and one or more lifting handles 10 may be moldedfeatures in the upper frame 4. The material of construction for thelower base tray 2, upper frame 4, and lid 5 is not limited to plastic;any other type of rigid material, such as aluminum for example, could beutilized as would be realized by one of ordinary skill in the art havingthe benefit of this disclosure.

FIGS. 1 and 3 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention with ahinged lid in the closed position. FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment ofthe present invention with a hinged lid in the open position.

The inflatable body 3 may be permanently joined to the lower base tray 2and upper frame 4 by means of adhesives, heat seam sealing, ultrasonicwelding, thermo-bonding, plastic welding, or any other means forensuring the integrity and air tight seal of the cooler during use. Theinflatable body 3 may be formed of puncture resistant, heavy-gauge PVCvinyl or of another suitable air tight, flexible material such asvulcanized rubber or polyester reinforced plastic fabric. The inflatablebody material may be in the range of 10 to 55 mm, or even heavier gaugesto improve puncture and abrasion resistance.

The inflatable body 3 may comprise one or more chambers for receivingfluid such as air or water, although multiple chambers may be used toimprove rigidity of the inflatable body 3, as would be realized by oneof ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. Themultiple chambers may be inflated using one or more inlet connectors orvalves welded to inflatable body 3. Various types of inflation valvesmay be used, including but not limited to simple plug-type plasticvalves (intended to be inflated by mouth or by air pump) and Schradervalve designs as used in automotive tires. The one or more valves may beglued instead of welded to ensure an air tight seal. Each chamber may bedesigned to be isolated with a dedicated valve for inflation.Alternatively, multiple chambers may be linked in series, eitherdirectly or with a check valve therebetween, and could accordingly beinflated using a single valve. The inflatable body 3 and the chambersmay be constructed as puncture resistant as may be desired, with weldedor glued seams to ensure integrity and an air tight seal. Thecompartments as described above have been used previously in airmattresses, for example, as described athttp://www.aerobed-aero-bed.com/_wsn/page3.html (Exhibit A) and in U.S.Pat. No. 6,643,875, both of which are incorporated by reference hereinin their entireties.

By “inflatable” or “inflated,” it is to be understood that the one ormore chambers can be at least partially filled with a fluid, such as airor water, in order to provide the cooler with the volume and rigiditynecessary for the effective containment and transportation of goods. By“deflated,” it is to be understood that the one or more chambers are atleast mostly evacuated of the fluid. Air is a preferred fluid because ofits excellent thermal insulation properties, although other gases may beutilized. Liquids such as water are also useful because they can beeasily chilled prior to being pumped into the inflatable body. Means forinflating the inflatable body 3 includes an air compressor, electricpump, foot pump, hand pump, a portable cigarette lighter-powered pump,or a CO₂ cartridge inflation tool (commonly used for inflating bicycletires).

The length and width of inflatable cooler 1 is maintained and defined bythe rigid lower base tray 2 and the rigid upper frame 4. When inflated(i.e. substantially filled with a fluid such as air), as shown in FIGS.1-3, the height of cooler 1 increases to form a semi-rigid bodystructure. Although the shape of the lower base 2 and upper frame 4 arerigid, it will be appreciated that the shape of the inflatable body 3when inflated can be designed to embody many shapes. As illustrated inFIG. 2, inflatable body 3 is shown by example having a ribbed exterior 7with a smooth interior 8, which facilitates cleaning.

The cooler 1 can further comprise various additional features such asone or more external pockets (not shown) attached to the outside of theinflatable body 3, or internal partitions or pockets (not shown)attached to the inside of the inflatable body 3. Additional internal andexternal features (such as pockets) may be permanently attached toinflatable body 3, or may be detachable by means of snaps, zippers,Velcro, or any other means as would be realized by one of ordinary skillin the art having the benefit of this disclosure. Also, in someembodiments, cooler 1 is provided with drain 9, located on lower basetray 2 in FIG. 1.

Many variations in size and shape of a product constructed this waywould be possible. For example, the number of sides can generally be anynumber, such as 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and so on. Embodiments of the presentdisclosure having one side can be round (cylindrical) or oval in crosssection. Embodiments having three sides can be triangular in crosssection (such as right triangular, isosceles, scalene). Embodimentshaving four sides can have various cross sections such as square,rectangular, trapezoidal, or other shapes.

The cooler 1 can be deflated to occupy a smaller overall volume thanwhen it is in its inflated state. The inflated state is used whentransporting goods such as food or beverages. The deflated state can beused when the cooler is not in use in order to conserve storage space.Because the plastic upper frame 4 would be somewhat smaller in dimensionto the lower base tray 2, the upper frame 4 can be easily designed tohave a snapping engagement, for example, with the lower base tray whencooler 1 is in the deflated state. It will be appreciated that othermeans are available for retaining the upper frame 4 in lower base tray 2during storage (i.e. deflated state), including one or more retentionmechanisms, such as, for example, a hook and eye closure or a strap incombination with snaps. When deflated, the inflatable body 3 thus restsin the interior space created between the engaged lower base tray 2 andupper frame 4/lid 5.

When deflated (as shown in FIG. 4E), upper frame 4 collapses into thelower base tray 2 to minimize its size for storage and for shipping,which reduces shipping costs. FIG. 4E shows the cooler 1 of FIG. 4A in afully deflated state. FIGS. 4B-4D show cooler 1 in partially deflatedstates. As can be seen, the upper frame 4 along with the loose vinylmaterial of the deflated body 3 would naturally collapse down partiallyinto the base tray 2.

The cooler may be designed such that the expanded state can generally beany desired volume. Larger internal volumes are preferred when the userneeds to carry large quantities of materials, while smaller internalvolumes are preferred when the user needs to carry smaller quantities ofmaterials. For both larger and smaller coolers, the compact externalvolume remains an important feature of the present invention forshipping costs and storage. For example, with reference to FIG. 1, arectangular cooler of the present invention having a length (L) of 36inches, a width (W) of 24 inches, a lower base height (H1) of twoinches, an inflated body height (H2) of 20 inches, and an upper tray/lidheight (H3) of two inches would occupy for shipping and storage purposesa volume of approximately 12 cubic feet (L×W×(H1+H2+H3)). With referenceto FIG. 4, the same rectangular cooler in its deflated compact statewould occupy for shipping and storage purposes a volume of approximately2 cubic feet (L×W×(H1+H3))−an 86% reduction in storage volume.

The advantage of this new approach to an inflatable cooler is that it iseconomical to manufacture and durable enough to substitute for atraditional hard-sided cooler. This cooler is easy to carry andtransport, and has all of the same features and benefits of traditionalcoolers. Further, cooler of the present invention has the added benefitof being able to reduce its size to make it easier to store thanhard-sided equivalents. This reduced size also makes shipping economicalas illustrated above.

All of the articles disclosed and claimed herein can be made andexecuted without undue experimentation in light of the presentdisclosure. While the articles of this invention have been described interms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill inthe art that variations may be applied to the articles described hereinwithout departing from the concept and scope of the invention. All suchsimilar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in theart are deemed to be within the scope and concept of the invention.

1. An inflatable cooler comprising: a rigid base; an upper frame; and aninflatable body having an upper end and a lower end, the lower endsealingly engaged to the rigid base and the upper end sealingly engagedto the upper frame;
 2. The cooler of claim 1, further comprising a lidhingedly connected to the upper frame.
 3. The cooler of claim 1, furthercomprising a lid removably connectable to the upper frame.
 4. The coolerof claim 1, wherein the cooler has an inflated state, wherein the rigidbase, upper frame, and inflatable body define a cavity.
 5. The cooler ofclaim 4, wherein the inflatable body in the inflated state is at leastsemi-rigid.
 6. The cooler of claim 4, wherein the cooler is structurallycapable of transporting food, beverages, and ice when the inflatablebody is in the inflated state.
 7. The cooler of claim 1, wherein thecooler has a deflated state, wherein the rigid base is connectable tothe upper frame.
 8. The cooler of claim 1, wherein the inflatable bodycomprises a flexible material defining at least one fluid chamber. 9.The cooler of claim 8, wherein the flexible material comprises apolymer.
 10. The cooler of claim 8, wherein the at least one fluidchamber is filled with air to inflate the inflatable body.
 11. Thecooler of claim 8, wherein the at least one fluid chamber is filled withwater to inflate the inflatable body.
 12. A method for using aninflatable cooler, comprising: providing an inflatable cooler comprisinga rigid base, an upper frame, and an inflatable body having an upper endand a lower end, the lower end sealingly engaged to the rigid base andthe upper end sealingly engaged to the upper frame; filling theinflatable body with a fluid to create an inflated cooler; and storingitems in the inflated cooler.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein theitems are selected from food, beverages, ice, or combinations thereof.14. A method for storing an inflatable cooler, comprising: providing aninflatable cooler comprising a rigid base, an upper frame, and aninflatable body in its inflated state having an upper end and a lowerend, the lower end sealingly engaged to the rigid base and the upper endsealingly engaged to the upper frame; removing fluid from the inflatablebody to create a deflated cooler; and storing the deflated cooler. 15.The method of claim 14, wherein the rigid base is connectable to theupper frame when the inflatable cooler is deflated;
 16. A method forshipping an inflatable cooler, comprising: manufacturing an inflatablecooler comprising a rigid base, an upper frame, and an inflatable bodyhaving an upper end and a lower end, the lower end sealingly engaged tothe rigid base and the upper end sealingly engaged to the upper frame,wherein the rigid base is connectable to the upper frame when theinflatable cooler is in its deflated state; and shipping the inflatablecooler in its deflated state.